Friday, June 11, 2010

FIFA World Cup 2010 Opening Ceremony/Inauguration in South Africa, Pictures

The first World Cup on African soil began on June 11, 2010, kicked off by a colourful African-themed ceremony. Before a jubilant crowd at Soccer City, a colourfully dressed cast of African dancers paraded onto the field to start the opening ceremony of the month-long tournament.

Artists perform during the World Cup opening ceremony at Soccer City.

Planes fly over Soccer City during the opening ceremony before the World Cup group A match between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Artists perform during the World Cup opening ceremony.

A performer in traditional clothes sings during the opening ceremony.

Nigerian singer Fela Kuti, centre, performs during the opening ceremony.

U.S. performer R. Kelly sings during the opening ceremony.

People watch the World Cup opening ceremony on a big screen at Trafalgar Square in London.

A South African supporter waits outside the stadium before the World Cup group A match between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City in Johannesburg.

South African football fans wave in joy during an event marking the opening day of the World Cup.

A recording of former South African President Nelson Mandela is shown on a giant display during the opening ceremony.

South African fans cheer prior to the match between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City.

Mexican fans arrive at Soccer City stadium for the opening match of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg.

Supporters of the South Africa team hold up a replica World Cup trophy before the group A match between South Africa and Mexico.

South African President Jacob Zuma, left, and retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, right, speak prior to the World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Mercedes Benz SLS AMG to Be Available in India For INR 5-6 Crores


Unlike other global markets, the Indian auto industry is still expected to post 10-12 per cent in the current fiscal, giving a new sigh of relief to all auto makers which includes the luxury end types. Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, which is the subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz car company specialising in high-performance luxury cars, is betting big on the Indian market too.

AMG models are typically more expensive, have aggressive looks, offer higher performances, better handling and better stability than their regular Mercedes counterparts. If ET report is to be believed, Mercedes Benz India has managed as many as 6 confirmed bookings for the Rs. 2 crore worth model even before its launch in the country.

Read more: Mercedes Benz SLS AMG luxury grand tourer to be in India by third quarter of 2010 - WheelsUnplugged Automobile Industry News
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

News Source : wheelsunplugged.com

Jupiter's Two Main Cloud Belts Have Disappeared


Jupiter has lost one of its prominent stripes, leaving its southern half looking unusually blank. Scientists are not sure what triggered the disappearance of the band.

Jupiter's appearance is usually dominated by two dark bands in its atmosphere – one in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere.

But recent images taken by amateur astronomers show that the southern band – called the south equatorial belt – has disappeared.

News Source : newscientist.com

Google Launches Google TV

Introducing Google TV



Google launched a new service today called Google TV in an attempt to expand beyond its usual area of business. At the launch, Google took a few jabs at Apple for not supporting Adobe Flash, saying, “It turns out on the Internet people use Flash.” The Google TV will use the next version of Flash.TV meets web. Web meets TV.
Learn more about Google TV at: www.google.com/tv

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Nokia X2 Cell Phone Announced, To be Launched in June 2010

Nokia adds a new member to its X series family, Nokia X2. It will be available in the Indian market at a price of Rs 5000.



Nokia is all set to unveil a new member of the X series, Nokia X2. The Nokia X2 has been announced close on the heels of the Nokia N8 announcement. The Nokia X2 beefs up the X series alongside its stable mates – the Nokia X3 and Nokia X6. The X series from Nokia is aimed at the lower end of the technical and feature packed spectrum which means this is a budget mobile phone.

This mid range cell phone is scheduled to be launched in June and will be available in the Indian market at a price tag of Rs 5000. Nokia X2 is available for 85 Pounds in European nations. Nokia x2 price in US could be $110. The Nokia X2 is the next cell in X series in India. It will be available in stores by June this year.

This monoblock body handset is equipped with advanced features such as 2.2” QVGA display, 48 MB embedded memory, 16 GB MicroSD flash card, dual stereo speakers and FM tuner, dedicated music keys, 3.5mm headset jack, Nokia Messaging, Facebook integration and MicroSD card support.

It comes with MP3 player and 5 MP camera accompanied by LED flash, digital zoom, USB port, wireless adapter and Bluetooth 2.1.

Apart from this it also has other specifications such as talk time of 13, 5 hours, call waiting of 540 hours, Instant messaging, facility of downloading games and checking Facebook status on homepage.

The phone, unlike other X-Series handsets, runs Nokia's proprietary S40 OS. On the imaging front, it has a very impressive 5 megapixel camera at the rear. This is a rather surprising because the X3, which is positioned above the X2, has a 3.2 megapixel camera.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Madhuri Gupta, Indian First Diplomat Found Spying For Pakistan: Inside Details of the Case

Who is Madhuri Gupta, What is Her Profile and Biography Details ?
She was posted as a second secretary in the media section of India's high commission in Pakistan, where her job had been to provide English and Hindi summaries of Pakistan's Urdu-language newspapers. Which means Madhuri Gupta has not exactly been near the center of Indian decision-making.

Madhuri Gupta

Born in 1957, Madhuri Gupta an Indian diplomat and an alleged ISI agent, had perviously worked with the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), a foreign policy think tank, before she was posted at the Indian high commission in Islamabad. Gupta is an IFS (Indian Foreign Service) B-grade officer serving as an Urdu translator in India's Islamabad embassy. She is currently under investigation and is suspected of having transfered sensitive and classified materials to Pakistani intelligence.

According to the Indian press, Gupta is reported to be very fluent in Urdu and was "desperate" to go to Pakistan, suggesting she may have had cross-border links for some time.

What is Madhuri Gupta's Inside story ? Her Family Background
"At 53, she was bored, alone and attractive. Single, but definitely one step ahead to mingle." That's how the man who led the operation to bust Madhuri Gupta, the first Indian diplomat to be found spying for Pakistan, described her. For most of her two years in espionage, Gupta was a lone-wolf, conducting a classic spy operation from her base in Islamabad. Old-school "dead drops," in which she passed off information without even meeting her Pakistani handlers, were her signature style. Yet it was a silly indiscretion — sending e-mails to her spy bosses from her office computer — that finally led to her arrest.

Controversial Madhuri Gupta in a photo from February 2009

Gupta has not exactly been near the center of Indian decision-making, posted as a second secretary in the media section of India's high commission in Pakistan's capital, where her job had been to provide English and Hindi summaries of Pakistan's Urdu-language newspapers. On April 22, the 53-year-old was summoned back to New Delhi ostensibly to help colleagues prepare for the ongoing South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit in Bhutan. After landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport, she was whisked away by officials of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (IB), India's internal intelligence agency, straight to an interrogation chamber in an undisclosed location. Twenty-four hours later, she was handed over to Delhi police, charged with treason and accessing confidential documents under India's Official Secrets Act.

"Her spy game was up the moment a Joint Secretary — an IB officer — inside the Islamabad mission suspected her around October 2009 and reported back," a high-level IB case officer in New Delhi told TIME. The IB launched a massive counter-intelligence operation, in which even its counterparts in the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the country's external intelligence agency, were kept out of the loop.

Over the next six months, Gupta's every step was monitored. She was found to be taking undue interest in informal discussions among the senior embassy officials regarding important policy matters, including India's strategic plans in Afghanistan and resuming a dialogue with Pakistan. She was even fed with incorrect information to be passed on to her Pakistan handlers, suspected to be from the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI).

Pakistani authorities refused to comment on the case, but analysts in Islamabad saw her arrest as an attempt to scupper upcoming planned talks between India's and Pakistan's prime ministers. "The timing was supposed to send a signal that India is not ready to talk to Pakistan yet," said Cyril Almeida, an editor and analyst at Pakistan's Dawn newspaper. "India has not moved beyond its post-Mumbai [the terror attack which Indian and Western authorities say originated in Pakistan] phase. It is not looking for talks with Pakistan any time soon."

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, this week, although the purpose of such talks is contested. After breaking off all dialogue with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Indian officials had suggested a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SAARC summit to discuss a long-running water dispute, but Pakistan has made clear that it wants a formal, open-ended peace talks. As Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the India's CNN-IBN network on Tuesday, "We need to go beyond a handshake."

Asked whether the two prime ministers would still hold talks in Bhutan this week, Pakistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Malik Amad Khan told TIME, "Maybe, maybe not, but that's totally independent of [the spying] allegations."

Almeida notes that espionage efforts to "turn" the other country's diplomats are par for the course between the long-time rivals, "But given [Gupta's] relatively junior position it is unlikely that she would have had access to sensitive documents, unless there was a real breakdown internally."

Indian government sources say Gupta had been spying for Pakistan since September 2008. "We have reasons to believe that she was not recruited inside Pakistan," says a senior officer in R&AW. "Possibly she was picked up and nurtured either in Baghdad or Kuala Lumpur where she was posted earlier." The agency also says this could have been a reason why she was keen for a Pakistan posting — usually a last choice among Indian diplomats and intelligence officials.
(See the top 10 news stories of 2009.)

Vishnu Prakash, a spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs, says that Gupta "is co-operating with the investigations and inquiries." Sources told TIME that she has told interrogators that she spied for Pakistan to settle scores with senior Indian diplomats who mistreated her during her early career. She has also reportedly confessed that a prominent Pakistani journalist put her in touch with Pakistani intelligence officers.

Her bank account records are being scanned, her official computer and personal laptop have been brought back to Delhi for analysis, and her personal relationship with a Pakistani intelligence officer, identified thus far only as "Rana," is being investigated. Gupta claims she was romantically involved with "Rana," but she was also being blackmailed by him into sharing information. Gupta now faces dismissal from service, an in-camera trial and a maximum of 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

An IB investigator says the only sensitive material that Gupta managed to pass on to Pakistan concerned "partial information on [India's] strategic plans in Afghanistan." That has come as a relief to Delhi, though investigators are still checking whether Gupta was used to plant bugs in the Indian mission in Islamabad.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Australia Win Hockey World Cup 2010

ON TOP OF THE WORLD:The Australian team presents a happy picture after regaining the World Cup by dethroning Germany at the Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday.

Australia's 24-year wait for glory ends

New Delhi: The Aussie dream of regaining the glittering hockey World Cup was realised after a hiatus of 24 years on Saturday.

With a display that underscored the efficacy of efficiency and effort, not to mention admirable athleticism, Australia won 2-1 in the Hero Honda-sponsored championship at the Dhyan Chand Stadium to deny the Germans a hat-trick of triumphs.

Doerner nets winner

The trump card for coach Ric Charlesworth, was Luke Doerner, who produced a whiplash of a shot from a penalty corner in the second half, to signal Australia's second triumph. The victory also confirmed the fact that Australia's win against Germany in the Champions Trophy was no aberration.

If there was commiseration for Germany it was truly spontaneous. Everyone played his heart out but none more than the lithe skipper Max Muller, whose work in the zone, especially in the circle, was outstanding. His save of a Luke Doerner's shot, after goalkeeper Tim Juessulat was beaten, was mind-boggling.

The role of Aussie skipper Jamie Dwyer was admirable. Moving smoothly on the flanks, he sent the huge crowd into raptures. Useful work by Desmond Abbott, Mark Knowles and Grant Schubert projected Australia's strength in attack and defence.

Goalkeeper Nathan Burgers also deserves mention for the saves he made, especially when the Germans attacked, prompted either by Matthias Witthaus or Benjamin Wess.

What brought Australia's display into full bloom was the early lead.

A rare, momentary confusion in the German defensive zone, following a free hit, culminated in Edward Ockenden slotting in.

Goalkeeper Jessulat blocked at least one dangerous hit by Doerner and rendered a few more attacks fruitless.

Germany increased the pace after the break and the heavy pressure at the Australian end signalled danger. Moritz Furste slammed in the equaliser amidst vociferous cheers.

The 1-1 scoreline transported the encounter to a different octave. Ten minutes before the hooter, the memorable moment for the Aussies dawned when Doerner pumped in the match-winner.

As the final whistle sounded, the Aussies emoted joyfully even as the Germans fell to the ground in disappointment. A weeping Jessulat had to be consoled by one of the German officials. The scene was a clear picture of ecstasy and agony.

Earlier, Rogier Hoffmann triggered an impromptu celebration as the Netherlands, fighting a 1-3 leeway at half-time, came back to claim the bronze.

The Dutchmen deserve unalloyed commendation for their fortitude and focus to overcome England 4-3, the match-winner coming three minutes before the final whistle. This was the three-time champion's second bronze after the one in 2002 at Kuala Lumpur.

It was an emotional moment to cherish for veteran Teun di Nooijer at the end of his fifth World Cup. His touch and elegance were there for all to see when he gave the Dutch the lead in the first half after a pass by Joeren Heartzburger.

England fought gamely thanks to a goal by Alistair Bragdon, followed by two superbly executed penalty corners by Ashley Jackson.

But the Dutch came roaring back, with Taeke Taekema's penalty corner conversion and the equaliser by Klaas Vermeullen. What followed when Rogier Hoffmann hit the boards is now part of Dutch folklore.

The results: 3-4: The Netherlands 4 (Teun di Nooijer, Taeke Taekema, Klaas Vermeuellen, Rogier Hoffmann) bt England 3 (Alistair Bragdon, Ashley Jackson 2). HT 1-3.

Final: Australia 2 (Edward Ockenden, Luke Doerner) bt Germany 1 (Moritz Furste). HT 1-0.

Final positions: 1. Australia, 2. Germany, 3. The Netherlands, 4. England, 5. Spain, 6. Korea, 7. Argentina, 8. India, 9. New Zealand, 10. South Africa, 11. Canada, 12. Pakistan.

Special awards:
Man of the final: Luke Doerner (Aus)
Man of Steel of the final: Martin Haner (Ger)
Best goalkeeper of the tournament: Guus Vogels (Ned)
Man of Steel of the tournament: Maximilian Muller (Ger); Top-scorers of the tournament (eight goals each): Luke Doerner (Aus) and Taeke Taekema (Ned); Man of the tournament: Guus Vogels (Ned); Fairplay trophy: New Zealand .

Match 2 Highlights: Mumbai Indians Vs Rajastan Royals

Mumbai Indians win over Rajastan Royals in the Indian Premier League T20 match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. Here are the highlights from the cricket match.

Match 2 Report: Mumbai Indians Edges Out Rajasthan Royals By 4 Runs

Mumbai Indians celebrate their win over Rajastan Royals in the IPL T20 match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.

MUMBAI: Lasith Malinga's determination to keep going at the batsmen and Sathish's fielding brilliance swung the fortunes in Mumbai Indians' favour, resulting in a thrilling four-run win over Rajasthan Royals in the second game of DLF-IPL III at the Brabourne Stadium on Saturday.

The Lankan paceman snared one batsmen with a slow bouncer and ran out the next on his follow-through with a diving throw before the visitor's challenge ended at 208 for seven.

Record-breaking knock

Sathish had earlier run out century-maker Yusuf Pathan (100, 9x4, 8x6) in his follow-through, anticipating striker Paras Dogra's drive and flicking the ball by instinct at the stumps at the non-striker end.

A stunned Yusuf, who had smashed the fastest century in the IPL, walked back with Royals at 173 for five.

The Royals power-hitter punished every bowler, except Zaheer Khan, by messing up the line and length with intimidating hot-making and some late cuts before Sathish got him.

Good stand

Earlier, Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu displayed absolute contempt for reputation, building on the momentum gained by the veterans Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar over the first four overs after Mumbai Indians had opted to bat.

Ruthless

The youngsters were ruthless in execution of strokes. Tiwary's reach and power helped him get to the pitch of the ball and clear the field with huge hits.

He stepped out against Warne for the first of three sixes, walked out against Yusuf and gave medium-pacer Uniyal the same treatment for a 30-ball 50.

Rayudu's hitting was more deliberate as he picked up the length early to force the ball in the direction he wanted.

One straight six off Jhunjhunwala stood out for ease of execution. His half-century, which came in 30 balls, had six fours and two sixes.

Jayasuriya and Tendulkar had got cracking straightaway to put the Royals on the defensive.

Three boundaries — slashes to cover and a crisp drive to the ropes— in Mascarenhas' first over saw the Sri Lankan in full flow. The Indians' captain got into the mood with flicks off the pads to the square leg fence.

Fighting back

Royals fought back into the game with Uniyal deceiving Jayasuriya with a slower one, Mascarenhas claiming Tendulkar and Aditya Tare before the stroke-makers could do more damage. Then Tiwary and Rayudu took over to delight the home crowd.

The scores:

Mumbai Indians:
S. Jayasuriya lbw b Uniyal 23 (14b, 3x4, 1x6),
S Tendulkar lbw b Mascarenhas 17 (11b, 3x4),
A. Tare c Warne b Mascarenhas 23 (13b, 3x4, 1x6),
S. Tiwary c Ojha b Tait 53 (33b, 4x4, 2x6),
A. Rayudu c Dogra b Uniyal 55 (33b, 6x4, 2x6),
R. Sathish (run out) 6 (5b, 1x4),
Harbhajan (retd. hurt) 8 (6b),
R. McLaren (not out) 11 (5b, 2x4),
Zaheer (not out) 0 (1b),
Extras (lb-3, w-13) 16,
Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 212.

Fall of wickets:
1-38, 2-69, 3-70, 4-180, 5-191, 6-192.

Rajasthan Royals bowling:
Mascarenhas 4-0-34-2,
Tait 4-0-46-1,
Kamran 1-0-10-0,
Uniyal 4-0-41-2,
Warne 3-0-29-0,
Jhunjhunwala 2-0-27-0,
Yusuf 2-0-22-0.

Rajasthan Royals:
G. Smith c b Sathish 26 (22b, 4x4),
S. Asnodkar (run out) 0 (0b),
N. Ojha c Zaheer b Murtaza 12 (12b, 2x4),
A. Jhunjhunwala b Malinga 14 (11b, 1x4, 1x6),
Yusuf (run out) 100 (37b, 9x4, 8x6),
P. Dogra (run out) 41 (29b, 2x4, 2x6),
D. Mascarenhas (not out) 9 (7b),
A. Uniyal b Malinga 0 (1b),
S. Warne (not out) 1 (1b),
Extras (w-5) 5,
Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 208.

Fall of wickets:
1-0, 2-38, 3-40, 4-66, 5-173, 6-201, 7-201.

Mumbai Indians bowling:
Zaheer 4-0-27-0,
McLaren 4-0-43-0,
Malinga 4-0-22-2,
Murtaza 4-0-46-1,
Sathish 3-0-51-1,
Jayasuriya 1-0-19-0 .

Match 1 Report: Kolkata Knight Riders Win Against Deccan Chargers by 11 Runs

KKR batsman Owais Shah plays a shot against Deccan Chargers in the opening match of the third edition of IPL in Navi Mumbai on Friday.

Deccan Chargers stumbled at the first hurdle, stunned by Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening game of the DLF-Indian Premier League 2010. The 2009 champion lost the way despite a superb 54 from captain Adam Gilchrist, scoring 150 for seven in the face of a spirited show from the Knight Riders bowlers.

Chargers lost by 11 runs chasing the 162-run target set by Sourav Ganguly's side. Ganguly used six bowlers, all of them chipped in with wickets at the D.Y. Patil stadium. Charl Langeveldt got two for 26 and the others managed a wicket each as KKR held its nerve when defending.

Taking into account the dropped catches under pressure and lapses in the field, the turnaround was remarkable against a side boasting of big-hitting batsmen.

V.V.S. Laxman, opening for Chargers, tried to tune into the T20 wavelength with a swatted six over long-on, then let captain Gilchrist show how bowlers can be tamed. The Aussie got cracking with two sixes, number one off Langeveldt over mid-wicket and bettered the effort next time with a straight six, stepping out against L.R. Shukla.

Gilchrist's mastery

Two dropped catches did not diminish Gilchrist's mastery, spotting the length early for clean hits, sending the ball soaring in a 35-ball 54 (3x4, 3x6). Hodge got him eventually, caught by Manoj Tiwary on the fence. Rohit Sharma (13 off 12 balls) took on the scoring duties, a late cut to third man and an on-drive. He fell for the bait from Mathews, chopping a short delivery towards short mid-on for Hodge to run across and do the rest. Knight Riders recovered from early upsets to post 161 for four. Mathews flexed his arms for an unbeaten 65 (46b, 5x4, 4x6) and saved his team from embarrassment.

The Sri Lankan, taking charge at number six, put on 130 runs in a fifth-wicket stand with England's Owais Shah 58 not out (46b, 3x4, 3x6). Shah used the pace of the wicket to stroke the ball, Mathews re-arranged his footwork to smash anything within range.

Vaas strikes

Vaas removed Tiwary with his first ball, the opener stunned when an attempted flick ended in Rohit Sharma's hands at square-leg. Skipper Sourav Ganguly was deceived by late swing, edging to Anirudh in the slips three balls later.

Cheteshwar Pujara broke the shackles with a crisp cover drive, but hit an uppish drive off R.P. Singh. Jaskaran Singh Bhuttar overcame stage fright in his first over with the valuable wicket of Brad Hodge off the next, inducing the Aussie to slash into Gibbs's hands at point, and then came up with a leg-cutter to leave the cautious Mathews in a tangle.

Deccan Chargers pressed slow bowlers Pragyan Ojha and Andrew Symonds into the attack from the seventh over.

Strategic break

Gilchrist took the first strategic break after eight overs with Knight Riders scrambling to 50 off 50 balls. Shah and Mathews attacked the slow bowlers, bold hitting taking the team past the 100-run mark off 94 balls.

Deccan Chargers took the second break after 16 overs and Vaas was brought back for his final burst. Shah and Mathews lashed sixes in a 100-run stand off 75 balls.

Knight Riders opted for Mathews, Hodge, Langeveldt and Shah among overseas players, resting Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis.

Deccan Chargers fielded all foreigners available in Symonds, Vaas, Gibbs, apart from captain Gilchrist.

Left-handed batsman Anirudh Singh made his IPL debut for Deccan Chargers, while Knight Riders opted for experienced hands.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders:
M. Tiwary c R. Sharma b C. Vaas 0,
B. Hodge c Gibbs b Jaskaran 13,
S. Ganguly c Anirudh b Vaas 0,
C. Pujara c Ojha b R.P. Singh 10,
O. Shah (not out) 58,
A. Mathews (not out) 65,
Extras (lb-8, nb-1, w-6): 15;
Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 161.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-0, 3-31, 4-31.

Deccan Chargers bowling:
Vaas 3-1-22-2,
R.P. Singh 4-0-35-1,
Jaskaran 4-0-35-1,
Ojha 4-0-19-0,
Symonds 4-0-26-0,
Suman 1-0-16-0.

Deccan Chargers:
A. Gilchrist c Tiwary b Hodge 54,
V.V.S. Laxman c & b Kartik 22,
H. Gibbs c Mathews b Langeveldt 19,
A. Symonds c Ganguly b Ishant 5,
Rohit c Hodge b Mathews 13,
Anirudh c & b Shukla 14,
T. Suman (not out) 7,
C. Vaas b Langeveldt 0,
Jaskaran (not out) 4,
Extras (b-4, lb-1, nb-2, w-5): 12;
Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 150.

Fall of wickets: 1-61, 2-99, 3-102, 4-116, 5-128, 6-141, 7-142.

Knight Riders bowling:
Langeveldt 4-0-26-2,
Ishant 4-0-31-1,
Shukla 3-0-30-1,
Kartik 3-0-17-1,
Mathews 4-0-27-1,
Hodge 2-0-14-1.


Watch the final over of the Kolkata Knight Riders' innings:

Ravindra Kantrolu, Once Accused of Being a Serial Killer, Spotted Painting Faces at IPL

Beer man makes a killing at IPL: Ravindra Kantrolu, once accused of being a serial killer, was spotted painting faces and selling water outside D Y Patil stadium yesterday.

Ravindra Kantrolu paints Tricolours on the face of a spectator at D Y Patil stadium yesterday.


What would you expect to see on the day of the first IPL match, outside the stadium? A frenzied, energised crowd, lots of chatter, and a general sense of excitement.

But a MiD DAY photojournalist came across Ravindra Kantrolu alias Raheem the same man Mumbai police had detained for serial killings in the city, nearly three years ago. He was painting the faces of fans with poster colours.

Kantrolu narrated his story about how the police used to beat him up regularly and wanted him to confess that he was the serial killer.

"They used to torture me, and tried to pressurise me into admitting to crimes I was not guilty of. They even asked me to prove my credentials, but I was homeless, and hence I had no documents," said Kantrolu.

Kantrolu can't thank his friends enough for helping him while he was in jail, and says that they repeatedly tried to convince the police that he was innocent, but to no avail.

He added: "The police now want me to leave the city as my acquittal has brought them a bad name. They don't want anyone to see me, and hence want me to leave Mumbai. But I am going to stay here and work hard, and make a living."

Ravindra Kantrolu paints Tricolours on the face of a spectator at D Y Patil stadium yesterday. Kantrolu now earns nearly Rs 500 a day doing odd jobs, and on good days, up to Rs 1,000.

For now, he is charging Rs 10 to paint one side of the face, and he says that the Tricolour is still a huge favourite among cricket fans. He also sells water bottles around the stadium.

Kantrolu plans to continue to hang around all IPL match venues this season. So you might just happen to bump into him if you happen to watch any of the future IPL matches in Mumbai.

Previously...

Kantrolu was charged of killing three people and leaving beer cans near their bodies between 2006-07. Although the prosecution had sought a death penalty for him, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment.

In June 2008, the high court acquitted him of any involvement in the murders, due to lack of evidence.

Sorce: Mid-Day

Friday, March 12, 2010

IPL 2010 Inauguration/Opening Ceremony (With Pictures)

The Opening Ceremony of DLF, Indian Premier League T20 tournament, was held at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. The inaguration of the 3rd edition of T20 Championships was a grand affair with celebrities from various walks of life participating in the event.

The inaguration ceremony started with the introduction of the captions of the 8 teams participating in the tounament by Ravi Shastri. All the captions were there to support the Spirit of Cricket initiative and the Green cause. They signed the globe to support the environment cause.

One of the celebrities who performed on the occasion was Deepika Padukone

Here are some photographs from the Inauguration Ceremony


Deepika Padukone Performing at the Function


Deepika Padukone Performing at the Function

Here are some photos of DY Patil Stadium at Navi Mumbai, where the Opening Function of DLF IPL 2010 twenty20 Competition took place.

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